The death of rock and metal icon Ozzy Osbourne was every bit as impactful as the passing of Queen Elizabeth, according to former Megadeth bass player David Ellefson.
Black Sabbath icon Osbourne died last month at the age of 76, just weeks after he headlined his own retirement show – an all-day extravaganza called Back To The Beginning, held at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham.
His passing devastated the world of rock and metal and also made headline mainstream news across the globe.
So much so that Ellefson compares the reaction to that which followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Ellefson tells The Logan Show: "This thing crossed so many genres of life. Not even music – sports people, everybody was weighing in on this.
"I saw something from Texas, San Antonio, where he peed on the Alamo. Now they're proud. 'Ozzy peed here.' They were obviously not promoting that, but they were proud that he's part of the legacy of their state.
"I feel like there hasn't been a significant event like this, of this level probably since the funeral and the passing of Queen Elizabeth. That was probably the last worldwide monumental event of this magnitude.
"And I feel like there's a new royal family – it's the Osbournes. It's kind of like Sharon's now the Queen of England. They needed a new one, and she's the one. And it just goes to show the magnitude of this thing."
The crossover appeal of Ozzy became quickly apparent in the wake of his death, with stars from across a wide range of musical and entertainment genres paying tribute.
